What was expected to be the largest Parkour event in U.S. history did not disappoint. Last week Take Flight partner Revolution Parkour held the grand opening of their new gym by hosting an open house with free pizza, free drinks, and of course free Parkour. The event was a huge success, and a monumental step for Parkour in the United States. The gym was packed from the beginning of the night till the end, so much so that some people had to wait more than 45 minutes just to get in! All in all more than 500 people attended from all age rages and socioeconomic backgrounds constituting the single largest Parkour gathering in U.S. history!

We could not be prouder of Revolution Parkour and their academy for the effort they have put in and the steps they have taken to bring exposure to Parkour and legitimize the discipline in the U.S. and beyond. In all aspects of their company and gym RVPK is continually furthering the credibility bestowed on Parkour by representing the discipline in a humble community oriented and professionally impressive demeanor.

Take Flight representative were in attendance at the Revolution Parkour open house giving out free Parkour clothing, DVDs, and posters. Below are a few pictures from the event, and we hope to get some video from the opening posted here soon too!

The line outside of the gym at the start of the night.

The gym just starting to fill up.

The gym continue to fill.

Scaffolding and lots of people.

Take Flight partner Revolution Parkour recently opened the largest Parkour gym in the United States. Their new gym is equipped with vaults, scaffolding, beams, plyo boxes, weights, and the most comprehensive set of ParKubes every assembled in a U.S. Parkour gym. In excitement of this momentous event for Revolution Parkour and the Parkour community as a whole, Revolution Parkour is hosting a community open house which is taking place tonight.

The Revolution Parkour Open House is taking place tonight, Friday, April 30th at their new gym in Beaverton, OR, USA. The event is absolutely free, and there will be free pizza and free drinks. RVPK will also be giving away over $500 of prizes including Parkour DVDs, Parkour posters, class memberships, gift certificates, and Parkour clothing from Take Flight.

The Revolution Parkour Open House has already generated a huge buzz. As of tonight it is expected to be the largest single location Parkour event in U.S. history! If you are anywhere near the new Revolution Parkour gym make sure to get out there for the open house. This is an event you do not want to miss!

Official Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104503542920742

At Take Flight are always working to build partnerships with Parkour communities and organizations. Whether partnering with a statewide Parkour community, a nationwide Parkour site, a Parkour company, team etc., our mission to spreading Parkour stays true and is fully developed in our pursuit of these partnerships and in the creation of these relationships. One of our partnerships is with Parkour academy and Parkour consultation firm Revolution Parkour.  We have been a partner of this organization for a few weeks now, and we thought we’d announce it here with an official blog post.

Revolution Parkour and Take Flight founder Adam Dunlap

The partnership between Take Flight and Revolution Parkour was always somewhat expected. Both organizations were founded by Take Flight founder Adam Dunlap, so the strong ties and relationship have been there from the start. But even if Dunlap wasn’t a part in the inception of either organization, Revolution Parkour is a model Parkour company that we would have still desired to be associated with.

Revolution Parkour is a Parkour academy and consultation firm that first opened its doors in 2008. As one of the first Parkour schools in the United States, Revolution Parkour was a pioneer in the developing and establishing the Parkour class model that we are now seeing taking root in cities across the country. They have made huge strides in bringing Parkour to the U.S., and they have always been dedicated to using the discipline of Parkour to positively influence others, especially young people. Since its inception, Revolution Parkour has given presentations for numerous groups, and run public and private Parkour programs for schools, athletic facilities, and non-profit organizations.

In addition to teaching the discipline of Parkour, Revolution Parkour has also made its mark by providing choreography and consultation for firms around the world. Working with companies from the U.K. to its home town in Oregon, Revolution Parkour has worked in television, advertising, and has collaborated with local to internationally companies including athletic faculties, book packagers, talent firms, and internationally recognizable apparel brands. Revolution Parkour has experienced enough success that they recently opened their new Parkour training facility which is the largest Parkour gym ever opened in the United States.

Ever more important than the success and reputation Revolution Parkour has experienced and garnered, the organization has always maintained its focused on staying true to the roots of Parkour by David Belle. Says the Revolution Parkour Facebook Fan Page very simply:

“Revolution Parkour is a Parkour academy and consultation firm that adheres to the teachings and philosophy of Parkour by David Belle.”

It is for all these things, the passion Revolution Parkour has for Parkour, their dedication to community involvement, and their pioneering spirit coupled with the unwavering devotion to Parkour by David Belle, that we have entered into a partnership with Revolution Parkour. Every one of us here at Take Flight is excited to be working with Revolution Parkour. We are looking forward to working with them and helping them further spread Parkour in their community and beyond.

You can read more about Revolution Parkour on their website and social sites via the following links:

http://www.RevolutionParkour.com
http://www.RevolutionParkour.com/academy
http://www.Facebook.com/revolutionparkour
http://www.Twitter.com/revolutionpk
http://www.MySpace.com/revolutionparkour

Grappling with gravity

Revolution Parkour turns urban architecture into playground and offers enthusiasts an extreme challenge

By Ed Johnson – The Beaverton Valley Times,

You’ve probably seen parkour, but didn’t know what to call it.

The French sport jams breathtaking athleticism into the urban environment; its practitioners sprinting, jumping and weaving in and around the things we normally take for granted. That railing on the stairs may look like a good place for your hand, but in parkour, it’s also a good place for a foot-launching jump.

The parkour-thinking mind sees urban architecture as, literally, a playground.

Adam Dunlap is a 23-year-old, life-long Beaverton resident who runs Revolution Parkour and teaches a twice-weekly class in the discipline. He wants the public to know that the sport is not just insane stunts like those seen at the beginning of the James Bond film “Casino Royale” — it’s a serious training method.

“I think a lot of people see parkour incorrectly,” Dunlap says. “They haven’t made the connection that this is something people do.”

Dunlap admits that what first interested him in parkour were the incredible YouTube videos of elite practitioners like parkour-founder David Belle. But, as he focused his craft, his insight into the sport changed.

“The ideas of movement and how to move quickly are built into us,” Dunlap says. “You take from parkour what you want.”

Craziest thing you’ve ever seen

Parkour can best be described as an outgrowth of a particular French philosophy, which is built on the fluid movement of the physical body through urban spaces. It’s about encountering obstacles and overcoming them using both your wits and your physical prowess. If you look up videos online, it will also seem like the craziest thing you’ve ever seen.

Right after graduating from Oregon State University, Dunlap got a temporary job at Nike, but quickly grew restless. The office environment wasn’t for him. He decided to take his long-brewing interest in parkour and turn it into a business.

Revolution Parkour was intended first as a parkour-instruction program, then as a TV and film consulting firm. For the last year and a half, Dunlap has been teaching twice-weekly classes at ADAPT Training, and seen a steady increase in participation. Tuesday night, 25 students, from pre-teens to people in their 20s, attended the class to get a dose of Dunlap’s expert instruction.

And while the consulting side of the business has been slow going, with only a few projects here and there, Dunlap says that a potential deal with a new major-network television show is in the works.

To develop his training program, Dunlap took the effusive parkour technique videos that were available online and broke them down into step-by-step methodology. He stresses that while these techniques are tried and true, there isn’t necessarily one single way to do parkour. It’s always about doing what comes natural.

‘No parkour on the furniture’

Besides technique training, the class also gives its students extensive physical conditioning, focusing on lean-muscle, body-weight exercises rather than free weights.

“A lot of people just want to find a unique way to workout,” Dunlap says. “As far as I’m concerned, parkour is the best there is.”

Students at the class seem to agree. Brandon Latocki, a 21-year-old Beaverton resident who’s been going to the class since it started, seems to echo the obsession of a lot of dedicated parkour enthusiasts.

“I’ve been looking for my entire life for something to do,” he says, “and this is it.”

Another student, Rick King, 25, says he first saw parkour when he saw the videogame Mirror’s Edge, about a dystopian future where revolutionaries use parkour-like methods to combat an all-knowing, all-seeing government.

“I didn’t know it was an actual thing,” King says. “I showed up (to class) one day and have been hooked ever since.”

Gerald Wright, of Tigard, was watching his 12-year-old son take part in the class on Tuesday night. He says that he’s been impressed by the rigorous and professional nature of the class since his son started it a few weeks ago.

“How can you say no to a kid who wants to do something different?” Wright says. “We do have one rule though: no parkour on the furniture.”

An adrenaline rush

Dunlap says that most students interested in parkour are exactly who you’d expect: young men looking for an adrenaline rush. He’s quick to point out, however, that as parkour grows in recognition — and there’s every indication that it will — the people who participate will likely diversify. Just like how other extreme sports became mainstream in the ’90s, Dunlap expects parkour to do the same.

Dunlap says the local parkour community is small but passionate, and often gets together to take advantage of downtown Portland’s diverse architecture. He says that, unfortunately, the suburbs like Beaverton don’t offer the same obstacle-rich environment as urban areas.

In the end, Dunlap stresses the simple joys of the sport he loves and the independence of its movement. He also stresses that watching the elite athletes shouldn’t scare people off. Most people will never leap from such great heights.

“Just because you train,” he says, “doesn’t mean you can jump off a building.”

For more information, visit www.revolutionparkour.com.